Happy New Syllabus

Call me a little peculiar.

Some of my fondest memories in school were related to the first days of the semester. It was in this week that professors would often distribute the semester's syllabi. With syllabus in hand, I would review the course outline and a summary of topics to be covered. I would consider the books to be purchased and the chapters to be read. And I would anticipate - with great expectation - all of the learning objectives that would be realized in my life over the course of the next couple of months.

I told you I was a little peculiar.

What thrilled my soul were not the tests for which I would prepare or the papers over which I would agonize. What excited me was the promise of all the learning that would take place during that semester. I could see a road-map that would lead me through challenging exercises and open up a whole world of new knowledge for me. I could imagine how much wiser and better prepared I would be at the end of this course of study.

As we stand on the precipice of 2009, I am nostalgic for such a syllabus. What does this year hold in store for us? What challenges will we face? How will you and I learn and grow in the coming months?

Though I long for a day when there was a clearer road-map for the months ahead, such direction does not exist - at least not in syllabus form. Rather we step out into the New Year, trusting that God will be moving ahead of us. We put our faith in The One who will not only direct our steps, but give us everything we need to face the challenges in the days ahead.

Perhaps our learning objectives for this coming year could be summarized in the hymn by Hugh T. Kerr:

God of our life, thorugh all the circling years, we trust in you;
In all the past, through all our hopes and fears, your hand we view.
With each new day, when morning lifts the veil,
We own your mercies, Lord, which never fail.

May God grant do you and yours - and to God's church - a New Year filled with learning and growth, faith and understanding.

2008 at National City Christian Church

Merry Christmas to you and yours! National City Christian Church and I send to you our very best wishes for a memorable holiday season.

The year of our Lord 2008 will be remembered for many things in our life and witness:

• The annual summer program enriched the lives of inner-city children as they focused for five weeks on music, art, science, and reading.
• Youth "bunkhouse ministry" house hundreds of young people visiting Washington, DC from as far away as France
• Our food pantry provided groceries to feed thousands of families.
• The Hispanic congregation continues to grow in enthusiasm and numbers.
• Heads of faith communions gathered here for a prayer service with the U.S. Conference for the World Council of Churches.
• NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America) gathered in our facilities to assist thousands needing help with their finances and mortgages.
• The congregation hosted the neighborhood on its steps for Capital Pride.
• National City Christian Church Foundation had a significant presence at the HIspanic and Bilingual Assembly in New Jersey, the National Convocation in Memphis, and the World Convention in Nashville, TN.
• In addition, I participated in leadership ah the 100th birthday anniversary of Preisdnet Lyndon B. Johnson, and I will be featured next January in a PBS documentary on Presidential churches.

We have many reasons for offering thanks to God in this season. Your prayers and financial support have made all the difference! Thank you for all the ways that you continue to lift up this ministry on behalf of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Your contribution at the end of this year is so very much appreciated. With your support, we look forward to serving many people on your behalf in 2009.

Merry, Merry Christmas!

Having a Merry Little Christmas

The Associated Press recently released an article about consumer cutbacks: “Consumers, taking a beating from the worst financial crisis in seven decades, cut back sharply on their spending, pushing retail sales down by a record amount. Retailers are braced for what could be the worst holiday shopping season in decades...”

I suspect that each of us is eyeing this holiday season with a close watch on our personal bank accounts. And as a congregation, we are also weighing carefully our spending as we make plans to celebrate this holiday season and enter the New Year.

I am reminded of the perennial holiday classic, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and the lyrics which are not all that merry. Originally the words were: “Have yourself a merry little Christmas / It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past" and "Faithful friends who were dear to us / Will be near to us no more.” Though he initially resisted, songwriter Hugh Martin made several changes to make the song more upbeat. For example, the lines “It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past" became "Let your heart be light / Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.” (Source: Wikipedia)

This is important to remember because the Advent/Christmas/New Year holidays are often met with a mixture of sadness and hope, melancholy and cheer, nostalgia and anticipation. Perhaps the memories that you and I can make during the holiday season of 2008 are not ones of over-the-top holiday spending. This may very well be the time for us to focus on the merry “little things” that give this season its greatest meaning.

• Volunteer in a local charity
• Invite someone to join you for worship and then share a light Sunday meal
• Offer to share with someone a talent that you have
• Make your own Christmas cards out of recycled paper
• “Re-gift” something that you don’t use anymore
• Purchase an inexpensive craft at Hilda’s Gift Shop to help third world artisans
• Make a special gift to National City Christian Church in honor of a loved one, and tell them
  
• about your gift
  

This is the season to focus on the little things: the tiny child of God coming to the world in a humble manger, a young man and woman who risked everything they had on an angelic promise, the lowly shepherds making their way through the Bethlehem night to honor the new-born king. Little things, that mean so very much.

So… let us have ourselves a merry “little” Christmas.